Red Bull expect Renault upgrade at June's Canadian GP; Martin Brundle says Mercedes "need to start thinking about Red Bull too"
Thursday 31 October 2019 14:29, UK
Daniel Ricciardo has compared this season's RB12 to the race-winning Red Bull of 2014 after making his best start to a Formula 1 campaign.
Ricciardo has finished fourth in each of the first three races of the year and led early in last weekend's Chinese GP, only for a puncture to force him into the pits. He had also beaten the Ferraris to the front row in qualifying.
Team-mate Daniil Kvyat managed to earn a place on the podium and, in a season that was expected to be dominated by Mercedes and Ferrari, four-time constructors' champions Red Bull have surprised many with their early-2016 pace.
Team chief Christian Horner was not expecting Red Bull to challenge at the front until the latter half of the campaign, with upgrades to Renault's engine expected at June's Canadian GP. But after a disappointing 2015, Ricciardo is optimistic he can roll back the years to his debut season with the team when he secured three race victories.
"It's really promising, for sure," Ricciardo, who is third in the Drivers' Championship with 36 points, told Sky Sports F1. "Three races in, every weekend we've shown a strength at some point. It's been a strength we didn't think we would have at this point of the year. It definitely feels more like 2014, where we have potential."
Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle has been similarly impressed by Red Bull, noting during commentary: "If Mercedes are looking in one mirror at Ferrari behind them, in the other mirror they need to start thinking about Red Bull, too."
Ricciardo surprisingly qualified on the front row in China and enjoyed a quick start, passing Nico Rosberg through turn one to take an early lead. However, a puncture soon followed due to the debris from the two Ferraris' collision, while the Australian also lost time when a safety car was deployed shortly after his pitstop.
But he rose up through the field from 18th, maximising his late pace on the soft tyre to overtake Lewis Hamilton.
The 26-year-old added: "The puncture and then the Safety Car, it was a double whammy which felt like getting punched in the stomach by a heavyweight.
"But the second part of the race was probably one of the best races in my life."
